My best key lime pie recipe features a rich macadamia nut crust and a creamy, tangy filling that sets perfectly. Made from just 7 ingredients, this classic and refreshing pie is both simple to prepare and tastes elevated with fresh whipped cream on top!
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips.
Key lime pie will forever be one of my favorite desserts, and I know I’m not alone! This Florida specialty has been winning over millions for years. Between the buttery crunchy crust, fresh and tangy custard filling, and the essential creamy topping—no dessert can rival this one!
Here’s Why This Key Lime Pie Recipe Works
- Salted macadamias in the crust add flavor (they’re optional)
- Pre-bake the crust so it holds shape
- Sweetened condensed milk thickens the filling without the need for starch or gelatin
- A short bake time sets the custard filling, while still keeping it silky smooth
- Refrigerate the pie so it’s cool, creamy, and sliceable
One reader, Valerie, commented: “I have made this recipe multiple times and it is always a huge hit! The macadamia nuts in the crust really give it that extra ‘something’ that people love but can’t quite pinpoint. One of my favorite recipes from your site… ★★★★★“
One reader, Ellen, commented: “My son and I made this pie together for Thanksgiving. It is the first time we have ever made a key lime pie before. We followed the recipe exactly! Sally, it was the BEST PIE EVER! Absolutely delicious. Everybody loved it and we will without a doubt make this again. Today I am thankful for leftovers! ★★★★★“
Here’s How You Make This Key Lime Pie
This pie requires a few simple steps. Most of the “work” is hands-off as the key lime pie sets up in the refrigerator, so it’s perfect in the summertime. (A lot of readers make this easy pie for Memorial Day weekend, Father’s Day, 4th of July, summer birthday parties, and Labor Day gatherings.)
The instructions are very similar to making this creamy lemon pie (also only 7 ingredients).
- Make the Crust: Use a food processor to combine the macadamia nuts and graham cracker crumbs. Combine with melted butter and sugar, then press tightly into a pie dish.
- Pre-Bake the Crust: Pre-bake the crust before pouring in the key lime filling. Pre-baking solidifies the crust and allows for easy slicing once the pie is ready to serve.
- Make the Filling: Whisk together the 3 filling ingredients—it will be thick! Pour into the warm crust.
- Bake the Pie: It usually only takes about 18–20 minutes. Let it cool completely, then cover and refrigerate the pie prior to serving.
- Garnish and Serve: This is extra delicious with fresh whipped cream on top. If you’re looking for an alternative way to make it, try these individual upside down key lime pies. Basically the same filling as this pie!
Graham Cracker Macadamia Nut Crust
Key lime pie is traditionally made with graham cracker crust. It’s the most wonderful crunchy, sweet, and buttery bed for the fresh key lime filling. But you won’t believe the difference macadamia nuts make. I use about 1/2 cup of macadamia nuts in place of some of the graham cracker crumbs and the result is pure pie bliss.
You need 4 ingredients for this crust:
- Macadamia Nuts (I recommend salted)
- Graham Crackers
- Melted Butter
- Sugar
Pulse the macadamia nuts with graham crackers, then mix with melted butter and sugar. Because key limes are a little sweeter than regular limes, you will love the sweet/tangy key lime filling with the salty graham cracker macadamia nut crust.
Or you could use a Biscoff pie crust instead if you’d like.
3-Ingredient Filling
You just need egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and key limes. These 3 ingredients are equally important. Why? The filling works because the acidity of key lime juice naturally thickens sweetened condensed milk, while egg yolks help set the filling into a smooth, sliceable custard as it bakes and chills.
If you’ve tried my key lime pie bars or mini key lime pies, you’ll notice that today’s filling is a little different. I typically add a little cream cheese to those recipes for stability and structure. However, for a smooth and sliceable custard pie, we’ll skip it.
My success tip: Do yourself a favor and buy a bottle of key lime juice from the store. There’s a brand of bottled key lime juice that I love called Nellie & Joe’s in most major grocery stores next to the bottled lemon juice. Otherwise you will spend 100 years juicing 500 tiny key limes yourself. LOL. You need 1 cup (240ml) of key lime juice. (Fresh lime zest is optional for this pie.)
How to Tell Key Lime Pie Is Done
One of the most common and easily remedied key lime pie problems is over-baked pie. It’s tricky to know when the pie is done, but here’s my secret: bake the pie until the filling is only slightly jiggly in the center (about 18–20 minutes). It should be firm to the touch, but not totally solid. The pie will continue to set as it cools.
Cool the pie completely on a cooling rack, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before garnishing, slicing, and serving.
How to Decorate Key Lime Pie
Let the refreshing citrus flavor stand out, and keep the garnishes simple.
- Homemade whipped cream; in the pictured pie, I used Ateco 826 which is a large piping tip. I piped large swirls around the pie.
- Since you’ll have leftover egg whites, make a meringue topping like the one on this bourbon sweet potato pie—you’ll have time to kill while the pie chills anyway 🙂
- Quartered lime slices or lime zest
- Whole macadamia nuts
- Graham cracker crumbs
I’ve sampled many key lime pies and I can confidently say this is the best one I’ve ever had.
Yes, absolutely. There’s a brand of bottled key lime juice that I love called Nellie & Joe’s, and it’s available in most major grocery stores next to the bottled lemon juice.
The acidity of key lime juice naturally thickens sweetened condensed milk without the need for starch or gelatin, which could change the texture into a pudding pie. Instead, we want smooth custard that sets *just* until sliceable.
7-Ingredient Key Lime Pie
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 35 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 servings
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This tangy-sweet key lime pie is deliciously simple with an extra thick and nutty crust. You need just 3 ingredients for the filling, and be sure to refrigerate the pie for at least an hour before slicing and serving.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Macadamia Crust
- 11 (about 160g) full-sheet graham crackers
- 1/2 cup (62g) salted macadamia nuts (I use roasted)
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
Filling + Topping
- 28 ounces (two 14-ounce cans/793g) full-fat sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup (240ml) key lime juice
- 4 large egg yolks*
- 1 teaspoon key lime zest
- garnish: lime zest, quartered lime slices, macadamia nuts, whipped cream, or meringue topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Make the crust: Using a food processor, pulse the graham crackers and macadamia nuts together into coarse crumbs. A few larger pieces of nuts is OK. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in the sugar. Add the melted butter and stir until combined. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish. Use your hand to pat down the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides to make a crust. Use medium pressure—simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumbly. Tips: You can use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help press down the bottom crust and smooth out the surface, but do not pack down too hard. And run a spoon around the bottom “corner” where the edge and bottom meet to help make a rounded crust—this helps prevent the crust from falling apart when you slice into the pie. For more shaping technique tips, see the graham cracker crust recipe page.
- Pre-bake crust for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave the oven on.
- Make the filling: Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, and egg yolks together (or use an electric mixer). Whisk in the lime zest. Pour into warm crust.
- Bake the pie for 18–20 minutes or until only *slightly* jiggly in the center. You want it mostly set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, cover and chill for at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days) before serving.
- Garnish as desired.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can prepare and pre-bake the crust up to 2–3 days in advance. Cover and store at room temperature. Likewise, you can mix up the filling up to 2–3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate, then assemble and bake. Baked and cooled pie freezes well up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor or Chopper | Glass Mixing Bowl | 9-inch Pie Dish | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | Whisk
- Graham Cracker Crust: If you purchase graham cracker crumbs, you need 1 and 1/3 cups (160g) for this recipe. Even though they are already crumbs, you can still pulse with the nuts. If you want to skip the nuts, use this graham cracker crust recipe instead and pre-bake for 8 minutes.
- Can I Use Regular Limes Instead? Yes, you can make this pie with regular lime juice and lime zest.
- Store-bought Key Lime Juice: If you don’t want to juice dozens of small key limes to yield 1 cup (240ml) juice, store-bought key lime juice works too. I really like a brand called Nellie & Joe’s, and you can find it at the grocery store near the bottled lemon juice.
- Leftover Egg Whites: Here are all my recipes using just egg whites, or you can make a meringue topping for the pie.
- Key Lime Bars: Here is my recipe for key lime pie bars. I add some cream cheese to that filling so the bars hold their shape well.
- Non-US Readers: Don’t have graham crackers where you live? Use 180g ground digestive biscuits instead (about 12 biscuits), with the same amount of nuts and butter, and add an extra Tablespoon (12g) of sugar. Pre-bake for 10 minutes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
If I buy the graham cracker crumbs in a box instead of the whole crackers, how many cups should I use?
Hi Penny, You can use this graham cracker crust recipe – enjoy!
I want to make this pie for an event but I’ll be pressed for time. Can I use a pre made pie crust? and if so, should I use the 9 inch or 10inch? does that matter in regards to cook time?
Hi Terri, you can use a store bought crust. You may have a little bit of leftover filling since the store bought crusts often aren’t as deep. Bake times should be about the same.
What was the asterisk for by the egg yolks???
Hi Mark, the asterisk indicates a corresponding recipe note, which can be found immediately below the written recipe. “Leftover Egg Whites: Here are all my recipes using just egg whites, or you can make a meringue topping for the pie.”
I loved this pie so much! I’m just curious why my crust was not holding together? It was as if i crumbled up the graham crackers & it wasn’t wet enough. I measured everything exact. It formed well in the pie dish. The flavor was still great! I ate my whole piece. Maybe needed additional butter? Has anyone else had this issue. Thanks
This crust smelled amazing. My pie didn’t turn out but it was my fault. I WILL be trying this again. I overbaked it because the filling wasn’t setting, it was very jiggly still after the initial bake time. Were my eggs too cold? Didn’t whisk the filling enough? Or was I expecting it to be more set in the oven than it should be? I’ll report back with the second try!
Hi Courtney, happy to help troubleshoot to get you ready for next time! Are you using a smaller pie dish by chance, and so the filling is thicker? When done, it will still be a little jiggly in the center, but not around the edges, and it will set as it chills.
I made this tonight for tomorrow. It didn’t turn out well. Not sure what did I do wrong but the custard is very watery and bubble when I mixed them. It’s all fresh lime that I used. I will try again next time but would love to know if anyone has similar thing happen to me? Any advice and suggestion is very much appreciated
Thabks
Hi Maemae, that’s very strange! I can’t think why it would do that. Did you make any substitutions at all?
This pie turned out absolutely wonderful! Easy and lots of lime flavor, perfect for the end of summer. Thanks for the recipe. Happy! Happy!
I would love to try this recipe! However, I have LOADS of GU pots left over which I would to use for this instead of making one big pie. How would I amend the measurements of ingredients to use a GU pot instead? X
Hi Ruby, you can use this recipe for smaller key lime pies — the same way you use it for these mini key lime pies. This filling will work just as well as that one! We’re unsure of the exact bake time.
How do you recommend storing in freezer? I covered mine (quintessentially perfect) with tin foil and it attached to the pie. Do you layer with parchment ever? Or just heighten the foil?
Hi Angela, yes, you can tent the foil a bit to make sure that it is not touching the top of the pie directly, and that should help. Hope you enjoyed the pie!
This recipe was absolutly amazing and so easy to make! Thank you so much! This was one of my very first bakes on my own and was so delicious.
I love the proportions of this recipe. I used pecans because that’s what I had on hand, but the nuts added so much flavor. The best KLP tip I’ve ever heard was to whip the filling for a long time, approx 10 mins, while the crust is baking. This result is amazing.
Fabulous recipe. I’ve made it several time and it has turned out beautifully every time. Whipped cream and marshmallow topping are both delicious.
Can I use sweetened condensed coconut milk as a substitute?
Hi Emma, We haven’t tested it, but other readers have reported success using condensed coconut milk. Let us know if you give it a try!
Do you have any tips to know when the pie is done baking?
Hi Crystal, you’ll want to bake the pie until it’s only *slightly* jiggly in the center. You want it mostly set.
Planning to make this for a party with whipped cream and meringue on the side. I know I’ll have to make the whipped cream just before serving. Will the meringue hold up if I make it the night before and keep it in a container? How should I store it?
Hi Crystal, it’s not ideal to store meringue in advance because it will begin to weep. I find up to 24 hours covered in the refrigerator is fine though.
My husband’s favorite pie is key lime. I have made another version years ago and he thought it was great. Well…. I made this one this last weekend and now he says this is the only one Im allowed to make for him haha. It was superb and I will definitely be making it again.
I always loved Key Lime Pie. It is my favorite dessert but I have never made it. If my wife and I are out for dinner and the restaurant has for dessert we each order our own slice because it is the one dessert I wont share. Then we compare with others we have had asking, “Who has the best Key Lime Pie?”. I can say with confidence now the best Key Lime Pie I ever had is the one I just made from this recipe and the Simple Graham Cracker Crust recipe on this website. I did a small modification to the Simple Graham Cracker crust recipe by adding a 1/2 teaspoon of Vietnamese cinnamon but will also try the chopped, salted macadamia nuts my next go around. Great recipe that is easy to make with very few ingredients. Best Key Lime Pie I have ever had, no joke!
I’m looking forward to making this recipe! I am curious if you have tested or made it with coconut (dairy free) condensed milk or if you have any recommendations for a preferred dairy free substitute.
Hi Rebeka, We haven’t tested it, but other readers have reported success using condensed coconut milk. Let us know if you give it a try!
I made this key lime pie for a dinner party last night…and everyone raved about it!! The only change I made to the recipe was adding 1/4 teaspoon salt to the crust as I couldn’t find salted macadamia nuts. This will be my go-to dessert for all kinds of future events!
This is the best key lime pie! Can I use sweetened condensed coconut milk as a dairy free option?
Hi Teresa, We haven’t tested it, but other readers have reported success using condensed coconut milk. Let us know if you give it a try!
This pie was bright and refreshing! A definite showstopper !
Whoops!! I just realized I used the whole eggs not just the yolk Oh boy!! What’d think will happen??
Hi Joyce, using only egg yolks is key to texture and for getting the pie to set properly. You can certainly try proceeding, but if you have extra ingredients on hand, it may be best to start over with fresh filling!
Thanks for the advice but I ended up cooking them for like 15 minutes more and they came out so delicious
Hello! I wa thinking of making this for July 4th and I am wanting to maybe got meringue topping but I am nervous about it being too sweet. And not having the whipped cream to give a little break from the sweet/likeness is there something that should be done for balance? Thank you!!
Hi Alisa, the meringue or whipped cream aren’t overly sweet with this pie, but you can certainly serve it “plain” without any toppings for a less sweet version. The pie itself will still be plenty sweet. Hope it’s a hit!
If I purchase graham cracker crumbs, how much butter should I use?
Hi Deb, are you planning to use the macadamia nuts as well? If so, the measurements will all be the same. If you want just a graham cracker crust, you can follow the measurements in this recipe.
I love key lime pie but am wondering why you have an asterisk after the egg yolks and no reference later to said asterisk. Your recipies are overflowing in my collections. Thank you!!
Hi Marci, the asterisk indicates a corresponding recipe Note. This one in particular is suggestions for using the leftover egg whites: “Leftover Egg Whites: Here are all my recipes using just egg whites, or you can make a meringue topping for the pie.” Hope this helps and that you enjoy the pie!
My husband requested a key lime pie for Father’s Day so I decided to try this recipe. It was a hit. It was creamy and had the perfect amount of tartness. I almost always try to do an add in with any kind of graham cracker crust and the macadamia nuts were perfect. The family said this was the best key lime pie I had ever made. This is definitely going to be my go to from now on.
I made this today. Used biscotti crackers and macadamia nuts. It was really easy and came out great. I have used this lime juice many times making this pie but it was to thin. This is perfect. Thank you!
I loved this recipe. There was a small piece left which I froze. A few nights later I removed it from the freezer and was anxiously awaiting it to thaw out. Finally I said to heck with waiting and started eating it. OMG if you think it was good before, you should try it frozen! To die for!
Filling way too sweet, my kids and I could only eat a couple bites and had to throw it away.
Did you use Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk? It’s great quality and always consistent. If you used a budget brand it may have been overly-sweetened.
I really enjoyed the flavor of lemon in these bars but I will say two things. One, the filling is too sweet, and I didn’t even put sugar in the crust. It was tangy enough, it was just way too sweet for me. Not surprisingly, since the filling is mostly condensed milk, maybe some added cream would help. Two, the crust was softer than I hoped. I like a crispier crust, and this one was a little soggy, even though I prebaked it as directed. I think it could prebake at least 10 min, maybe 15. Other than that, it was good!